


You've Got Mail, Eds!

by rose02



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, I'll add more tags as the story goes on, M/M, ME TBH, Record store au, flower shop au, imma put comedy, little to no angst, music nerd! richie, ocd! eddie, should i put comedy, you've got mail! au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-01-22 04:45:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12473776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rose02/pseuds/rose02
Summary: Eddie Kasprak and Richie despise each other, it's just too bad that they're anonymously best pals on tumblr. This is gonna be good...





	1. For the Record

**Author's Note:**

> huuuge thanks to Dee, my lovely beta! you are a doll! follow her amazing tumblr @losvcr
> 
> if you want to follow this pile of dirty socks, my tumblr is @r-u-reddie

_ 7 Months Ago… _

 

It was a well-known fact that Eddie Kaspbrak had always been anxious. It was in his nature, and his obsessive compulsive disorder absolutely did not help his case. Because of his upbringing, he was very tidy and frankly, a little high-strung. He liked to keep everything in order and was very precise.

 

Now, you can imagine how a person of his nature would react when a loud and boisterous record shop moved in next door to his picturesque plant nursery.

 

To give you a hint, it was not pleasant.

 

_ If they don’t turn down that music in five seconds, someone’s face is going to get kicked to the back of their skull.  _

 

Making up his mind, Eddie quickly spritzed his bonsai trees with some water before he stormed out the shop door, heading into the god forsaken vinyl shop where he was prepared to beg for a little peace and quiet.

 

Eddie had never really taken a good look at  _ For The Record  _ before that moment, and he took a moment to make his critiques. 

 

It was a rather small shop, but what it lacked in color, it made up in copious amounts of vibrant decor. The walls were filled to the brim with random vintage artifacts and every shelf had a bizarre knick-knack to accompany the vinyls. The shop had no color scheme and the only thing that was semi-organized were the records themselves, sorted into genres. Eddie made note of the abundant  _ Classic Rock  _ section. In short, the record shop made Eddie’s hands twitch.

 

After Eddie finished his observations, he immediately went to the counter, where an unusually tall, messy-haired boy sat reading a magazine. Once again, Eddie noticed that a peculiar novelty was at the register (an arrangement of red balloons).

 

The cashier had a full head of dark curls and sharp cheekbones. As he flipped through the magazine, the boy bit at his lip.  _ He is really cute. _ Eddie thought this absentmindedly as he made his way to the counter, where he stood in front of the boy with his hand on his hip until the cashier looked up. When the boy saw Eddie, he looked slightly stumped for a second until he regained his composure.

 

“Hey there, gorgeous, what can I do for you on this lovely afternoon?” The cashier quipped with a poorly executed southern accent.

 

Eddies cheeks burned at the nickname as he spat, “Your music that you’re playing outside is way too loud. I can barely hear myself think inside the shop.”

 

“And wouldn’t that be a shame.” The boy said as he rested his head in his hands. Then, he sprung upright as he snapped his fingers. “Hey, hey, hey! You’re Eddie, the owner of that flower shop that’s next door, aren’t you? I’m Richie Tozier, proud owner of  _ For The Record,  _ at your service,” He finished with a salute.

 

Maybe what Eddie said next was a little harsh, but in his defense, the thirteen year old customer he previously had to deal with that day had put him in a mood. And he was hungry.

 

“Hold up. First of all, it’s a  _ plant nursery _ not a _ flower shop _ ! Second, maybe if you turned your god damn music down, you would have the brain cells to notice that.” 

 

Richie’s grin dropped off of his face. “Dude, listen. I didn’t mean to upset you, but you’re being a total dick right now.”

 

_ Excuse you? _

 

“ _ I’m  _ being the dick? Just turn down your fucking music, okay? I don’t have time to deal with this shit right now.” Eddie complained with a huff. Eddie noticed that after he said that, Richie’s playful demeanor was completely gone.

 

_ Ok, maybe that was pretty harsh. _

 

“Well, I wouldn’t want to get your lace panties in a twist, princess.” Richie said with a cold smirk.

 

_ Oh, fuck him. _

 

That was the last straw, and Eddie stormed out of the obnoxious vinyl store. He was  _ not _ about to deal with some homophobic jackass who was so worried about his fragile masculinity, that he had to insult the obviously gay guy by calling him a  _ princess.  _

 

Once Eddie was back in the nursery, he frantically started to clean the already pristine counter and once it was absolutely spotless, he began to scrub at his hands in the sink behind the counter.

 

He heard the music next door go so loud he could feel the bass vibrating the floor in Eddie’s nursery.

 

_ Fuck. Him. _

 

-

 

_ Now, 7 months later... _

 

Eddie was on tumblr, looking at some cute outfit ideas, when he received a  _ tumblr  _ notification from from  _ trashymouthrt.  _ Eddie grinned as he clicked on the notification and was brought to  _ trashymouthrt _ ‘s latest private message to Eddie.

 

-

 

**_trashymouthrt_ ** _ : _

 

_ alright hear me out: pizza flavored beer _

 

_ it would be a hit, right? _

 

_ - _

  
  


Eddie chuckled to himself as he typed out his reply.

 

-

 

**_nervous-plants_ ** **_:_ **

 

_ that sounds disgusting _

 

_ - _

 

The reply from  _ trashymouthrt _ was instantaneous.

 

-

 

**_trashymouthrt_ ** **_:_ **

 

_ or insanely good _

 

**_nervous-plants_ ** **_:_ **

 

_ i think you’re insane _

 

**_trashymouthrt_ ** **_:_ **

 

_ love you too hun _

 

_ i kinda wish i knew your actual name _

 

_ and your face _

 

_ and you irl _

 

_ - _

 

Dread began to curl in Eddie’s stomach.

 

-

 

**_nervous-plants:_ **

 

_ but it takes away the anonymity!!! _

 

**_trashymouthrt:_ **

 

_ you’re the worst. _

 

**_nervous-plants:_ **

 

_ i know <3 _

 

_ if it makes u feel any better, i kinda want to know you irl too _

 

**_trashymouthrt:_ **

 

_ maybe our fates will collide someday and we’ll meet somewhere unexpectedly and i would automatically know it was you because i just know your aura so well _

 

**_nervous-plants:_ **

 

_ you’re a nerd. _

 

**_trashymouthrt:_ **

 

_ shut up _

 

_ oh shit i gtg see ya later sunshine _

 

**_nervous-plants:_ **

 

_ bye trash mouth _

 

-

 

Eddie got off of his computer with a sigh. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet  _ trash mouth _ , one of his few good friends, but there were way too many risks, and he didn’t want to ruin one of the few good things about his day, especially when Richie Tozier was constantly around and pissing him off.

 

All of a sudden, he heard the bell above the door ring and someone yelp.

 

_ Speak of the devil. _

 

Richie Tozier skidded around the pastel blue shelf of lavender and rosemary, and came to a stop in front of Eddie.

 

“What the hell do you want, Tozier?” Eddie asked, arms crossed.

 

“Did you fucking take my sign?” Richie questioned as he looked down at Eddie, which made him feel smaller than his 5’4 self already was. “No, why the hell would I take your sign?!” Eddie retorted.

 

“Because you harbor a deep, burning hatred for me?”

 

“Well, you have a point.” Eddie pretended to ponder, “But, I swear on my life, I didn’t take your sign. Everything you have as decor in your shop is ugly, so why would I want anything with your stamp of approval?”

 

“Maybe so you can spruce up your fairy den with my excellent taste?”

 

“My nursery is  _ not  _ a fairy den!” Eddie faltered a little as he took a look around his shop, second guessing the pastel colors and fairy lights that hung from the ceiling.

 

Richie raised an eyebrow.

 

“Just get the hell out, Tozier!”

 

“I always savor these moments we have together, Eddie Bear.” Richie remarked while walking out.

 

Eddie chucked his pink pen at his back, and decided to reevaluate his life choices.

 

At least  _ trashymouthrt  _ brought him some peace in all of this chaos.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Tell Me About It, Stud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, thank you to my lovely beta, dee! follow her @losvcr on tumblr!
> 
> want to follow this sack of potatoes? im @r-u-reddie on tumblr
> 
> thank you for reading!

“I’m begging of you Mike, I  _ need  _ you at work!” Eddie talked into the phone on his couch.

 

Eddie heard Mike sigh, “Eddie, I’ve been planning this vacation for  _ months.  _ I’m only gonna be gone for four weeks. Besides, it’s not my fault you broke your arm while taking down the fairy lights. By the way, why did you try to take them down? You told me that they were one of the few things that lightened up your day.”

 

Eddie grimaced as he held onto his broken arm. “Just wanted a change of scenery. Mike, please. If I don’t have you at work, I can’t take care of the plants. I broke my dominant hand and I need to be able to lift the plants, sell them, water them, trim them, and plant new ones all at the same time!”

 

“I’m so sorry Eddie, but the answer is no. Just ask Richie to help.” The line went dead, and Eddie wanted to throw his phone across the room. He had asked Ben, Eddie’s other co-worker, before Mike, but he was visiting his parents in Maine for two weeks.

 

That was two weeks without any help and a broken arm.

 

He knew he had one last option, but that was unthinkable. Unspeakable.  _ Never going to happen, ever. Like, hell no. _

 

_ \------- _

 

“-and I promise that I’ll stop insulting you for a whole month if you can just help me until my coworker gets back from vacation?” Eddie asked, avoiding eye contact with Richie as he stood in front of Richie’s desk.

 

“Eds, of course I’ll help you! We’ll be the best florist dream team the world has ever seen!” Richie exclaimed, throwing his arm around Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie quickly pushed him off and complained, “I am  _ not  _ a florist!”

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, doll.” Richie said smugly. “So, when do I start helping?”

 

“Tomorrow, and I need you to be there at 7. We’re doing a Halloween sale, and you have to come dressed up.” Eddie said as he looked around the  _ Classic Jazz  _ section.

 

“Are you serious? I love dressing up! I didn’t know that you did fun stuff in your store!”

 

“Shut up. I do fun stuff  _ all the time,  _ dickweed.” Eddie insulted, glaring at Richie. 

 

Richie grinned and taunted, “Now you hold on there, mister. You’re not allowed to insult me anymore, remember?”

 

“Unfortunately.” Eddie replied, grinding his teeth. 

 

“I can sense some tension. Are you tense Eds?” Richie said patronizingly. 

 

“Just peachy.” Eddie remarked. “Just come in costume at seven, is everything clear?”

 

“Crystal.”

 

\----

 

_ ‘Oh. My. God.’ _ Richie thought to himself, looking at Eddie in his costume.

 

Richie had spent the last night getting Bev to cover for him while he was helping Eddie, and listening to  _ Cage the Elephant _ while having a slight mental breakdown over finding a last minute costume. He decided to go as a sheet ghost, which Richie thought was pretty hilarious. 

 

When Richie walked into  _ Rainbow Bouquet _ ( _ which, really Eds? How much gayer could you get? _ ) that morning, he was ready and filled with energy. Then, he saw Eds.

 

Eddie was talking on the phone with someone named  _ Ben,  _ in an oversized leather jacket, white tee shirt, leather pants, and combat boots. His curls were messy and the jacket was falling off one shoulder. ‘ _ He looks insanely hot. _ ’ 

 

Then again, it wasn’t unusual for Richie to fawn over Eddie. Daily. Possibly hourly.

 

Eddie hung up and spun around on his heel to face Richie. “Seriously, Rich? That’s your costume?”

 

Richie realized that Eddie couldn’t see his face under the sheet, and said, “Yep! Besides, what are  _ you  _ supposed to be? _ Faux Leather Man?” _

 

Eddie’s face went red and he hissed, “No! I’m a  _ greaser! _ ”

 

“You look more like Sandy at the end of  _ Grease _ .”

 

“Shut up, asshole. By the way, you can’t wear that costume for work.”

 

“Why? Need to uphold the fine reputation of  _ Rainbow Bouquet?”  _ Richie mocked.

 

“No, because the customers need to be able to see your face.” Eddie elaborated. “Come with me, I have some extra costumes in the storage room.”

 

Richie followed Eddie without question, and Eddie led him to a rack with about six costumes. “Take your pick.”

 

“Why the  _ hell _ do you have a costume rack in your storage room?”

 

Eddie blushed and replied, “It’s fun to dress up in October. You never know when you’ll need a last minute costume. Mike, Ben, and I go to a lot of last minute costume parties and these always come in handy”

 

_ God his blush is cute. _

 

”Should have guessed.” Richie commented whilst flipping through the costumes. He picked up the one he  _ knew  _ he had to wear.

 

“ _ This!”  _ Richie exclaimed, holding up the 50s style letterman jacket and jeans. Eddie buried his head in his hands.

 

“We are  _ not  _ doing matching 50’s costumes!”

 

Richie grinned with wild eyes and insisted, “Oh, yes we are! It’ll create a theme! You’ll be Sandy and I’ll be Danny at the end of  _ Grease! _ ”

 

“No way in  _ hell!” _

 

\-----

 

Eddie stood defeated at the cash register while Richie was watering plants in his “Danny” costume. 

 

_ Fuck him. _

 

Eddie got out his laptop, pulled up  _ tumblr,  _ and opened his conversation with  _ trashmouthrt.  _ He began to type out a message.

 

_ - _

 

**_nervous-plants_ **

 

_ i’m working with satan right now. _

 

-

 

Eddie saw Richie pull his phone out of his pocket and check it. Richie put his phone back and waltzed over to Eddie. Eddie quickly shut his laptop.

 

“Hey Eddie Bear, can I take my lunch break now?” Richie inquired, jumping up to sit on the counter

 

Eddie checked his watch. “It’s not even noon yet!” Richie threw his head back in frustration, which gave Eddie an exemplary view of Richie’s adams apple. 

 

“Listen, toots. I’m helping you out with your store, on top of my own shop that I still have to manage. The least you could do is give me an extended lunch break.”

 

Eddie sighed and crossed his legs. “Fine, but you have to be back at 1:15. Kapeesh?”

 

Richie winked as he walked out the door. “You got it, babe.”

 

Eddie scolded himself for blushing at the nickname. ‘ _ What’s up with me today?’  _ Eddie had always known that Richie was the kind of person that was universally accepted as “attractive”, but for some reason, he was paying close attention to details today. He noticed that Richie would click his tongue to the beat of a song, or bite his lip when he was nervous. It wasn’t unusual for Eddie to notice details about people, it was just unusual that he found those details so…  _ endearing. _

 

Shaking his head, Eddie opened up his laptop once again to find a new message. 

 

-

 

**_trashmouthrt:_ **

 

_ that sucks for you man. i just started working with this guy, and he’s so damn cute _

 

_ - _

 

Eddie felt a little sting of jealousy, then realized how stupid he was being.

 

-

 

**_nervous-plants_ **

 

_ are you serious? That’s great dude! _

  
  


**_trashmouthrt_ **

 

_ except for the part where he literally curses the ground i walk on _

 

_ hey do you want to meet up soon? i understand why you would be worried, but maybe we could meet in a crowded place and you could check with the cafe to keep the police on speed dial in case anything sketchy happened (which it wouldn’t) and i just want to actually talk to you in person _

 

_ - _

 

Eddie froze. This was a big step. A monumental step. It was a risk, and Eddie just didn’t  _ do  _ risks.

 

Eddie hesitated and typed out his reply.

 

\- 

 

**_nervous-plants_ **

 

_ lets meet _


	3. Cold Feet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to my amazing beta, who helped me out even though they're going through some tough times. follow them on tumblr @losvcr <3
> 
> follow this puddle of greywater @r-u-reddie on tumblr!
> 
> btw im sorry in advance

It had been a week since Richie agreed to meet up with  _ nervous-plants. _

 

_ ‘Today’s the day.’  _ Richie thought to himself, while messing around with his guitar before he had to head over to  _ Rainbow Bouquet.  _ He was extremely excited to meet  _ nervous-plants,  _ but he couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

 

‘ _ What if he’s really a 70 year old man who wants to wear my skin as a jacket?’  _ and ‘ _ What if he’s a serial killer who wants to stuff my corpse in his closet?!’  _ were some of the uneasy strings of thought that drifted through his head.

 

Unfortunately, Richie knew that one of his troubled thoughts was extremely plausible:

‘ _ What if he’s perfectly fine, but he realizes that how pathetic I am?’ _

 

Richie had been neglected in his childhood, and as a result of his parent’s disregard, he looked for any circumstance where he could draw attention to himself. That led him to be called “ _ annoying”  _ and “ _ obnoxious”  _ for as long as he could remember. It was a touchy subject for him, to always be known as the detestable and pathetic friend.

 

It made it even harder when his  _ Eddie  _ knew how pathetic he was. 

Richie knew how obvious his kind-of crush on Eddie was. He was attracted to Eds from the moment he saw Eddie carrying boxes into his new store. The problem was that Eddie detested Richie.

Passionately.

 

Richie had been thrilled when he overheard Eddie’s snarky comments and witty remarks, thinking that they would be best of friends. Turns out, Eddie thought Richie was more repulsive than expected.

 

As much as it hurt Richie that Eddie didn’t reciprocate his feelings, Richie knew it was for the best. Richie was dead weight. He brought people down, and Richie had come to terms with this.

 

Richie checked his watch and swore, seeing that he was at least fifteen minutes late, knowing Eddie would be frustrated with him (again).

 

Richie bolted out of  _ For The Record  _ and skidded into  _ Rainbow Bouquet.  _ He saw Eddie cleaning the windows and let himself smile at the sight of the pink adorned boy on his tiptoes, trying to reach the top of the glass. 

 

Eddie turned around and raised his eyebrow when he saw Richie. Richie stood in front him with his shoulders rolled back and gave him a mock salute.

 

“Richie Tozier, reporting for duty!”

 

Eddie folded his arms and popped out his hip. “You’re late.”

 

Richie rubbed the back of his neck and sheepishly said, “Sorry ‘bout that, shortstack.” 

 

Eddie rolled his eyes, and led Richie over to a group of bonsai trees. “I need you to lightly water them, and groom them.” Eddie passed him a pair of shears. “By the way, I have to check out early today.”

 

_ ‘Oh, shit.’  _ Richie thought, thinking of where he needed to be tonight. “But,  _ I  _ need to leave early tonight!”

 

Eddie just shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we’ll just close early, then.”

 

As Richie examined the shears in his hands, his curiosity got the best of him. “So… Where are you going tonight?” He inquired, trying to appear nonchalant.

 

“Oh… Um… I have a… date.” Eddie replied hesitantly. 

 

Richie felt a sharp pang of jealousy strike his stomach and asked, “Seriously, Eds?  _ You  _ have a date? Better alert the newscasters!  _ Now for tonight’s news, the guy who everyone thought would die alone, Eddie Kaspbrak, has a date for the first time in a goddam century! _ ”

 

Eddie’s relatively calm face twisted up in anger. “Yeah, Rich. Believe it or not, someone who’s as pathetic as me is capable of getting a date.”

 

_ Fuck. _

 

Richie’s face immediately fell. “Oh, Eds, I didn’t mean-”

 

“Just shove it, douchebag. I get that you hate me, but sometimes, you really are too fucking mean.” Eddie mumbled as he walked away.

 

\-----

 

Eddie was way too anxious. He was already on his fourth time cleaning the counters this  _ afternoon.  _

 

He was extremely excited to meet  _ trashmouthrt,  _ but at the same time, he was incredibly nervous. He just kept on thinking about the possible disasters that could happen tonight. It didn’t help that Richie was putting him on edge.

 

He decided to immerse himself in his work until 5, when he was supposed to get ready to head over to  _ Persephone’s Coffee,  _ and meet  _ trashmouthrt.  _

 

_ Trashmouthrt  _ had told Eddie to bring a pink rose to put on the table, and that he would wear a denim jacket. 

 

It was almost time for Eddie to start getting ready to go, so he decided to check in.

 

-

 

**_nervous-plants_ **

 

_ we still good for tonight? _

 

_ - _

 

The reply was almost instantaneous.

 

-

 

**_trashmouthrt_ **

 

_ totally! you getting cold feet? _

 

**_nervous-plants_ **

 

_ definitely not. persephone’s coffee with a pink rose, right? _

 

**_trashmouthrt_ **

 

_ you got it sunshine _

 

_ - _

 

That nickname gave Eddie a strange feeling. It was like he couldn’t remember something.  _ ‘Who else calls me sunshine?’  _

 

Shaking it off, Eddie shouted, “Hey, I’m closing up. Hurry! ” Eddie saw Richie run out of the storage room, holding a denim jacket. 

 

Eddie frowned and started to get a headache.  _ ‘Why am I feeling so much deja vu today? _

 

Richie looked at Eddie and began to say, “Listen Eds, I’m really so-”

 

“Save it for someone who cares, Tozier. Just get out before I lock you in.”

 

Richie nodded and walked out the door. Eddie saw him walk down the street to his motorcycle, and drive off. 

 

Eddie pinched his nose and rubbed his tummy a little, because it was hurting from how nervous he was. He finished his routine of reorganizing the plants, flipping the light switch on and off twelve times, and wiping down the counters one last time.

 

Eddie was just about to walk out the door when he dashed back in the store and grabbed the pink rose.

 

\----

 

Richie drove back to his apartment and spruced up a little before checking the time. Knowing that he had five minutes before he had to be at the cafe, he slid on his denim jacket and spritzed on some cologne. He took a deep breath and shook out his limbs before walking out the door.

 

The ride to the cafe was extremely quick, and it barely gave Richie any time to organize his thoughts. 

 

Once he pulled up at the cafe, he hopped off the bike and prayed a collective prayer to every deity he knew that he didn’t smell like exhaust. 

 

The cafe Richie had chosen to meet  _ nervous-plants  _ at was one of his long time favorites. It was extremely comfy and it gave off a warm, happy vibe. With the fairy lights strung inside and out, he couldn’t help but think of Eddie, knowing that he would appreciate this place. He just hoped that  _ nervous-plants  _ was thinking the same thing.

 

Richie walked up to the front door of the cafe, closed his eyes and walked in.

 

Once he was actually  _ in  _ the cafe, he automatically glanced at all of the tables to see if there was one with that was inhabited with a pink rose. Richie almost let out a sigh, but then he saw a table in the corner. It was occupied by a person with their back towards Richie. Richie looked at the table and…

 

_ A pink rose. _

 

His stomach jumped and he slowly and hesitantly stepped towards the unknown person, and he started to get an unusual sense of  _ deja vu.  _

 

‘ _ That hair looks weirdly familiar. Do I know someone with that shirt?’ _

 

That’s when Richie saw the person’s profile, lit up by the warm and soft lights of the cafe. 

 

_ ‘Oh my god. Oh my shit, oh fuck.’ _

 

Richie frantically stepped backwards and raced out the door. As he ran, he tripped on the pavement and came down with a  _ slam _ . He saw his hand bleeding, but he didn’t really feel it.

 

Richie picked himself up and pushed his hair out of his face. He spotted his motorcycle and sprinted towards it. He revved up his bike and sped down the street. Richie felt tears streaming down his face, getting blown in his hair because of the wind.

 

_ Eddie. _

 

_ \---- _

 

Eddie was getting anxious. He had been waiting at  _ Persephone’s Coffee  _ for nearly an hour, and there was no sign of  _ trashmouthrt.  _ He ignored his anxiety, decided to wait a while longer. 

 

_ ‘Maybe there’s traffic.’ _

 

The wait turned into two hours. He checked his messages and there was nothing new from  _ trashmouthrt.  _ He sent him a quick message.

 

-

 

**_nervous-plants_ **

 

_ hey is everything ok? _

 

-

 

After that, he began to feel dirty, and wiped down the seats and table with antiseptic wipes.

 

At three hours, he started to feel dirty again, and he started to clean his already pristine cast and hands with the wipes. 17 minutes after that, the barista came up to Eddie and told him that they were closing up.

 

Eddie felt tears sting his eyes, but refused to cry. He gathered his stuff with as much dignity as he could; He decided to bring the rose with him too.

 

Once he was out of the godforsaken cafe and back in his car, he began to cry, sobs wracking his body. He knew he was being indulgent for allowing himself to cry, but after everything building up on him for the past three months, it was this moment that the dam broke and his repressed emotions flooded his mind.

 

After a couple of minutes, he looked at the blush pink rose resting on the dash and contemplated tearing it up, but instead, kissed it gently with tear blurred vision. He felt the velvet-like softness of the petals against his lips, and for some reason unknown to Eddie, he began to cry harder.

 

_ ‘I knew it was too good to be true.’ _

 


	4. are you a loser too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to the lovely dee, my beta! follow her @losvcr on tumblr <3
> 
> if you want to follow this loser, i'm @r-u-reddie on tumblr!

Richie watched Eddie walk into work the next day with bloodshot eyes and unbrushed hair. 

 

Richie sat in his respective shop, pretending to dust as he looked at Eddie fumble with his keys, drop them, and then stare vacantly at the fallen keys on the  _ Welcome!  _ Mat. As Richie stared at Eddie, he felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt, which he knew he was deserving of.  _ ‘How could I have just left him?’  _

 

When Richie had arrived home, he sat on his bed thinking for hours. He pondered over his decisions, sometimes taking a pity break where he would cry and wonder why this quandary was his to fret over. There was a part of him that of him that really regretted not telling Eddie that  _ trashmouthrt  _ was him , but he aware that Eddie would think that Richie had been deluding him this entire time, and would hate him, irreparably.

 

So, Richie wouldn’t tell Eddie. Ever.

 

Richie sighed and looked out the window again, realizing he had drifted off. He saw that Eddie was gone, and Richie knew that he had to get things sorted out in  _ For the Record  _ before he could help out Eddie. Richie physically winced when he thought about Eddie now, the ache of guilt in his stomach flaring up.

 

An hour later, Richie was done doing some minor maintenance and made his way over to  _ Rainbow Bouquet.  _ He walked through the doors and saw a group of preteen boys, all hunched around the counter, giggling and nudging each other. 

 

Richie frowned when he saw them, and didn’t see Eddie anywhere. “Hey guys,” Richie announced, crossing his arms. The boys whirled around with guilty looks on their faces.

 

“What are you doing?” Richie inquired, attempting to look around them to see what they were just hunched over.

 

The young boys looked at each other silently, and one bolted out the door. The others quickly followed in suit.

 

“ _ Hey!”  _ Richie exclaimed, considering running after them. Then, he saw what those boys had been surrounding just a few moments ago.

 

“Shit, Eds…” Richie murmured once he saw Eddie fast asleep on the counter. He had crude drawings on his face and his cast had  _ LOSER  _ scrawled on his previously pristine cast. 

 

Richie shook Eddie awake and Eddie woke up with a start. “Oh… Hey Richie, sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I had a rough night and-”

 

“Look Eds, before you say anything else, you may wanna take a look in the mirror.” Richie requested with a grimace.

 

Eddie’s brows furrowed and he hurried off to the bathroom, with Richie on his tail. Richie stood in the doorway of the bathroom while Eddie examined his face. Richie saw Eddie’s eyes start to well up with tears, and Richie quickly stepped in.

 

“Hey! Don’t worry about it, sunshine. It was just a couple of stupid prepubescent boys who obviously had nothing better to do with their stupid lives, okay?” Richie reassured frantically, not wanting Eddie to cry. 

 

“...I shouldn’t have worn all pink today…” Richie heard Eddie mumble as he examined  _ QUEER  _ written in messy handwriting on his forehead. 

 

“Eddie, it had nothing to do with you. Hold on, I’ll be right back, I just need to stop by the grocery store so we can get you cleaned up, cool?” Richie asked this, but was already heading out the door. 

\-----

 

Eddie was furiously scrubbing at his face and cast to try and get off the sharpie that was stubbornly staining him. He was already having a pretty shitty day. He got no sleep the night before, because all he did was cry, waking up with red eyes, being too tired to function normally, and trying to de-thorn the new roses. Needless to say, a group of boys coming to draw on him while he was asleep was the icing on top of the cake.

 

As Eddie was going to try scrubbing his cast again, Richie came bursting in the shop with a lemon and a kitchen knife in his hand. 

 

“Viola!” Richie exclaimed, grinning down at Eddie.

 

“Why the  _ fuck  _ did you buy a lemon?!” Eddie hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

 

Richie rubbed his neck and said, “Well, I googled how to get sharpie off your skin, and they said to use lemon juice!” Richie sliced open the lemon, right on the granite counter, and squeezed the juice on the paper towel.

 

“Upsy daisy, Eddie Spaghetti.” Richie said as he patted the counter, gesturing for Eddie to sit.

 

Eddie sighed and climbed up on the counter. Richie began to gently wipe at the marker on his face. Eddie closed his eyes and sighed, unaware that he let himself in front of Richie.

 

Eyes still closed, Eddie said, “Thank you. I had a long night, and this is really sweet of you, actually.”

 

Richie’s face went bright red, and he was very grateful that Eddie’s eyes were shut. 

 

_ ‘Hey, what if it really wasn’t Eddie is the cafe last night, and I just had some weird hallucination!’  _

 

Richie finished cleaning Eddie’s face and whilst throwing away the lemon, he asked, “What happened last night?”

 

Eddie sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I… I guess… I was stood up.”

 

Richie grimaced.  _ ‘So it wasn’t a hallucination.’ _

 

Richie put his hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Eddie. Whoever it was,  _ they’re _ the loser.” Richie said, looking down at Eddie’s cast.

 

Eddie looked skeptically at him, and then after seeming to think things over, he relaxed. “Well, it really is my fault. I was an idiot.”

 

“You’re _ not _ an idiot.”

 

“Yes, I am.” Eddie’s face scrunched up and he shut his eyes. “I…”

 

Eddie sighed and confessed, “I met him online.”

 

_ ‘Yep, it was definitely Eddie.’ _

 

Trying to thinking of a way to react, Richie gasped and said “Oh, wow! Online? That’s dangerous. And bad! _ ” _

 

Richie groaned internally.  _ ‘Way to go, James Bond.’ _

 

Eddie didn’t seem to catch on to Richie’s obvious bluffing. “Yeah, I know. It was really idiotic of me, but he was so nice and understanding. I didn’t think he would stand me up.”

 

_ ‘Is this entire day going to be filled with guilt?’ _

 

Richie couldn’t just watch Eddie mope. “Listen, Eds. Whoever that guy is, if he skipped out on you, that was the biggest mistake of his fucking life, gotcha?” 

 

Eddie looked slightly taken aback. “Uh… Thank you, Richie. It’s not  _ that  _ big of a deal, but it sucks for him, sure.”

 

_ ‘Good going, Richie.’  _ He thought to himself.

 

Richie saw that Eddie was looking down at his cast. “Hey,” Richie said gently, “I’ll see if I can find an extra sharpie to cover that up?” 

 

“Don’t worry about it, Richie. Once a loser, always a loser, right?” 

 

Richie frowned, “You were called a loser when you were younger?”

 

Eddie nodded. “I was called a lot of things. A kid who wears rainbow shorts and a fanny pack isn’t necessarily the coolest guy in school.”

 

Richie sighed and leaned on the counter where Eddie was sitting. “If it makes you feel any better, I was called a loser too. My buck teeth and loud mouth weren’t as great as I thought they were.”

 

Eddie gave him a soft smile. “At least you don’t have buck teeth anymore.” Eddie teased, tapping Richie’s lips twice.

 

Richie felt his face light up and he laughed. “Hey, don’t say anything, Mr. Fanny pack.”

 

Eddie pretended to gasp. “For your information, they are very convenient and comfortable. You can carry anything and everything you need.”

 

“Like this?” Richie asked before grabbing Eddie and hauling him over his shoulder.

 

“ _ Richie! Put me down now! _ ” Eddie screeched as he screamed with laughter. Richie continued to run around  _ Rainbow Bouquet  _ whilst carrying a screaming Eddie, who was pounding on his back.

 

After a particularly painful punch to his back, Richie set Eddie down on the counter. Richie groaned and held his own back. “Gee whiz, Eds. I think you just knocked my back out of alignment.”

 

Eddie stuck out his tongue and protested, “Hey, you started it. I would never physically injure someone if they didn’t antagonize me. I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

 

A lightbulb went off in Richie’s head. “Hold on a sec, Eds.” 

 

Richie raced into  _ For the Record,  _ and rummaged through his drawer. He found and uncapped the red sharpie, running into  _ Rainbow Bouquet  _ again.

 

“Hand me your broken arm.”

 

Eddie hesitantly gave Richie his hurt arm. “What are you doing?”

 

Richie quickly did what he needed to do, and showed off his handiwork to Eddie. “Look! All fixed.”

 

Eddie looked down at the cast, and saw that where _Loser_ used to reside, now said _Lover_ with a _V_ where the _S_ used to be. Richie started to get nervous when Eddie didn't say anything after a couple of seconds, but when he saw Eddie's watery eyes and smile, he knew he did the right thing.

 

“You know what, Rich? You’re not that bad afterall.”

  
  



	5. I wanted it to be you, so badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's to the last chapter! this was so much fun to write! i may write a little epilogue for this after, if people want it. thank you to my lovely beta, @losvcr on tumblr!
> 
> if you want to see more of my writing, im @r-u-reddie on tumblr!

_ ‘Yesterday was just a fluke.’  _ Eddie thought to himself bitterly as he walked past  _ For the Record  _ first thing in the morning. Eddie didn’t exactly know what happened the day before. It was like he and Richie were seeing eye-to-eye for the first time. They understood what it felt like growing up as a loser. Richie had even helped Eddie with the marker situation. 

 

He knew it was too good to be true though. He could tell that Richie had some sensitivity towards gay people ever since he met Richie for the first time. A friendship between them would never work if Richie was homophobic. Quite honestly, Eddie didn’t want to be associated with those kind of people anymore. He needed to put a stop to this. 

 

With a newfound determination, Eddie marched into  _ Rainbow Bouquet  _ and furiously started color coordinating the daisies. As he paced back and forth between the flowers, he heard a bell ring and a “ _ Mornin’ Eds!”.  _ He looked in the direction of the intrusion and saw none other than the infamous Richie Tozier.

 

Eddie scrunched up his face and began to stomp over towards Richie. “ _ Now, you list-” _  Before he could finish, he promptly tripped over a large pot that was on the floor.

 

_ ‘Real graceful, Eddie.’  _ Eddie thought as pushed himself into a sitting position. Then, he realized he had dirt all over his outfit. And an audience. Eddie kept his head down as he frantically brushed dirt off his legs, cheeks burning.

 

Richie immediately rushed over to him. “Geez Eds! I guess you really can’t help but fall for me, huh?” Richie said with a huge grin and a teasing crinkle in his eyes. 

 

When Eddie’s head whipped back up, he bore a murderous look on his face. “I’m so  _ sick _ of you making fun of me! You always tease me about some stupid shit, like  _ how little my shorts are  _ or  _ how I’m such a fucking fairy _ and I’m done with it! I get it! I’m gay! Big fucking deal! I thought that you were finally acting like a normal human being yesterday, but guess what? You’re  _ still  _ a homophobic jackass and…” Eddie continued his rant.

 

Richie stood there, looking extremely confused. “-wait, you seriously think I’m homophobic?”

 

Eddie stopped ranting, whipping his head around. “Um…  _ Obviously?” _

 

Richie snorted and all of a sudden started laughing hysterically. He ended up joining Eddie on the floor because he was laughing so hard. Eddie was stunned.

 

“ _ Wait  _ so-  _ hoo!  _ I mean- holy shit-  _ Bahahaha!”  _ Richie tried to spit out as he rolled around on the floor laughing. After a minute, he managed to compose himself, wiping tears from his eyes, and looked up at a bewildered Eddie. 

 

“Let me get this straight-  _ straight, fucking hell-  _ I’m absolutely  _ not  _ homophobic.” Richie reassured as he helped Eddie to his feet. Eddie looked completely baffled. 

 

“If you’re not homophobic, why would you say shitty stuff like that, Richie?” Eddie interrogated, stomping his foot.

 

“Because you’re  _ fucking cute _ , Eds!”

 

Eddie’s eyes widened almost comically and he immediately looked at his feet, trying to fight off a blush. “Oh.”

 

Richie grinned when he saw red creep up Eddie’s neck and onto his cheeks. “I can’t believe that you thought I was homophobic. Like  _ oh, my God.  _ I’m glad we got this cleared up, because now there’s nothing in the way of becoming best buds!”

 

“That is  _ not  _ happening.  _ Ever _ .”

 

Richie’s grin on his face fell immediately and Eddie felt a throb of guilt in his stomach. “Why not?”

 

“Because! We were not made to be friends.” Eddie stated, hands on his hip.

 

“Says who?” Richie inquired, crossing his arms and moving closer to Eddie. “I think that if I took you to lunch, after one hour you would be  _ dying  _ to be my best friend.”

 

“As if!”

 

\-----

Eddie was sitting across the table from Richie at  _ Persephone’s Coffee.  _ After this morning’s… incident, Richie had insisted that they go out to get coffee. An idea that Eddie had not been a fan of.

 

_ “There is no way in  _ hell  _ that I’m going to get coffee with you.” Eddie said, bitterness lacing his voice. _

 

_ Richie bit his lip and dropped his head. “Please, Eds?” Richie asked as he lifted his head, “I get that I was a huge jerk. I just have a feeling that if we sit down and have a friendly chat, we’ll get along better than you think.” _

 

_ Eddie looked at Richie’s unusually downcast expression and he took a deep breath. “Okay, here’s the deal. If we get coffee, you need to be on your best behavior. Got it, Rich?” _

 

_ Richie’s face lit up and he swept forward to lift Eddie off the ground. “You got it, Eds!”  _

 

_ Eddie groaned and kicked his feet. “Don’t call me that! I hate it when you call me that! And is it a habit of yours to pick people off of the fucking ground at random moments?” _

 

_ “Only cuties like you, Eddie Spaghetti!” _

 

They agreed on coffee at six, and Richie had come to pick Eddie up on his motorcycle (which Eddie had protested heavily to, but ended up riding on anyway). 

 

When Eddie saw that the cafe they had arrived at was  _ Persephone’s Coffee,  _ he automatically reached for his inhaler, but realized that he hadn’t used one in ten years.

He repressed his worries.

 

When they walked in, Richie insisted that Eddie find them a table while he ordered them some coffee and pastries. As Eddie looked around for the most comfy booth, he eyed the table that he had sat at for hours, waiting for  _ trashmouth.  _ He grimaced and continued walking.

 

He ended up sitting down on a cozy little leather couch with a wooden table in front of it, and he waited for Richie to come sit down. Then, he realized what he had forgotten to do, and he started to wipe the couch and table down with disinfectant wipes.

 

Just as he was finishing with wiping everything down, Richie came over. He was about to hand Eddie his chai latte, but then he saw that Eddie was busy with disinfecting, and waited silently for Eddie to finish. 

 

When Eddie looked up, Richie held his drink in front him. Eddie stared at the mug for a moment before he gently took it into his hands. Richie watched Eddie’s face glow with red. 

 

“Sorry about that. I just can’t stand it if I don’t make sure everything’s clean.” Eddie apologized, putting the packet of antibacterial wipes back in the pocket of his skinny jeans. He sat down alongside Richie on the couch.

 

Richie smiled softly. “Don’t worry about it, Eds.”

 

Eddie nodded and relaxed into the couch, staring at his mug in his hands. Richie let the silence last for a couple seconds, but then he saw the distressed look on Eddie’s face.

 

“Is everything ok?”

 

Eddie’s looked up and pinched his nose. “Everything’s ok. It’s fine. This is just the exact cafe where I got stood up.” Eddie looked up at Richie and saw a strange look on his face. 

 

“Did you talk to him after… that?” Richie asked casually, sipping his coffee. 

 

“He messaged me last night, but I didn’t respond.”

 

Richie hummed and nodded his head. “You should message him back. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding.”

 

“I will.” Eddie sighed.

 

“What did he say when he messaged you?”

 

“He told me that he couldn’t tell me why he did what he did. He just had to take care of things first.” Eddie explained, resting his head sweetly on his palm. 

 

Richie’s mouth dropped and he raised his eyebrows. “You know what that means, right?”

 

“What?”

 

“He’s married.”

 

Eddie scrunched up his nose. “No, he is not! I mean… He can’t be! He’s my age, 25!”

 

“People can get married way younger than 25, Eds.” Richie stated, smirking. 

 

“He’s not married!”

 

“Hey, people do crazy things when they’re young. Just like that time I spent with your mom in the hot tub. Man,  _ that  _ was crazy-”

 

“Beep beep, Richie.”

 

“Is that your new way of telling me to shut the fuck up?”

 

\---------

 

“Trashmouth said  _ what?”  _ Richie asked excitedly, walking through the market with Eddie, three weeks later. The annual Christmas market had just opened, and Richie had been begging for Eddie to go with him. To no one’s surprise, Eddie complied. They were standing in front of a shop that sold old fashioned candles, to Eddie’s enjoyment and Richie’s despair.

 

“He said that once I saw him, I would stop liking him.” Eddie said, examining a soft blue candle.

 

“That’s it. He’s fat.”

 

“He’s not fat!”

 

Eddie stopped looking at candles for a moment to look at the Christmas wreaths. He stopped suddenly and calmly looked at Richie.

 

“Besides, even if he is, that wouldn’t matter to me.” Eddie declared prissily, hands on hips. 

 

Richie grinned and squeezed Eddie’s sides, to which Eddie squealed and hit Richie’s arm with butterflies in his stomach. Eddie and Richie had barely spent anytime away from each other in these past weeks. They were constantly in each others space. 

 

It was sudden, but good. Not to mention, Eddie was starting to feel… odd around Richie, but to be honest, that was never a new feeling. 

 

Richie stuffed a moroccan pillow up his shirt from a nearby table and asked, “Well, what if he has to be like, lifted by a crane everytime he wants to leave the house?” Richie pretended to hobble around and groan.

 

Eddie laughed and felt the butterflies is his stomach flutter again.

 

No one else really knew how Richie and Eddie got so close. When Mike and Ben had come back from the Caribbean and Maine, they were astonished to see Eddie and Richie in the same room, not tearing each other’s heads off.

 

_ Eddie sat behind the counter of  _ For the Record,  _ giggling whilst Richie painted Eddie’s nails bubblegum pink. _

 

_ “I don’t get why you get black nails and I get pink nails. We should’ve done matching nails.” Eddie had complained. _

 

_ “I was going to, but you’re just so damn cute in pink, Eds!” Richie teased. They both jumped when they heard the shop door slam shut. _

 

_ Richie whipped his around and saw Mike Hanlon and Ben Hanscom, looking completely baffled, staring at them both. They were both carrying what looked like souvenirs, that Richie presumed were for Eddie.  _

 

_ Eddie screeched and ran to them, giving them both a huge hug. “Guys! I’m so excited to have you back!” Ben grinned, gave Eddie a hug, and kissed Eddie’s cheek. Mike gave Eddie a hug, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. _

 

_ When Eddie pulled back, Mike still stood motionless, looking completely dumbfounded. “You… and Richie? Are friends? I mean- What?” _

 

_ Eddie grinned sheepishly and walked back to the counter. “Yep! We got everything figured out. Your aprons are on the counter at the shop, by the way!” _

 

_ Richie waved awkwardly at the two. Ben and Mike looked at each other and smirked. _

 

\----------

 

It had been four weeks since the market.

 

-

 

**_trashmouth-rt_ **

 

_ can i meet you tomorrow? i know what happened last time, and i promise that it will never happen again. if you want to, ill be at the rose garden on main street at 3 pm, wearing an orange shirt _

 

_ - _

 

Eddie looked at the message, worry stirring up in his stomach. He had continued to message the unknown  _ trashmouth-rt,  _ but less seriously this time around. Richie had, quite honestly, taken up most of his time and thoughts, and Eddie didn’t really know what he did to insinuate that he wanted to meet up with  _ trashmouth. _

 

That didn’t mean that Eddie wasn’t still very fond and intrigued by him. He thought briefly, and typed in his response.

 

**_nervous-plants_ **

 

_ this is your last shot ok? _

 

_ \------------ _

 

Eddie was already in a little bit of a mood that next day because Richie wasn’t there. He had called that morning, telling Eddie that he came down with a fever, and wouldn’t be able to see Eddie that day. 

 

Eddie didn’t tell him who he was going to meet up with.

 

Eddie knew he was being irresponsible by not telling him, but he didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t anyone to know and pity or chastise him.

 

It didn’t help that he had the unreasonable hope that Richie would end up being  _ trashmouth. _ He knew it was stupid, he just couldn’t help but find all of these similarities between the two.

 

‘ _ Don’t be idiotic.’ _

 

Eddie looked at the clock behind his desk, and saw that it was time to leave. He stood up, washed his hands again, wiped down the counters, and made his way to his car.

 

Eddie drove to the Rose Garden at 2:55, anxiously clicking his tongue as he parked his car at the entrance. He looked at the huge iron gates and took a deep breath. He hopped out of his car, shaking his hands out, as if to rid himself of nerves.

 

He walked in the gates and walked aimlessly around the garden, seeing no one there at the massive estate. Most of the garden was covered in shrubs, no roses to be seen in December, surrounding the beautiful paved path. The sky was speckled with fluffy clouds and the air was brisk. He waltzed around the roundabout, and he sat contentedly, realizing that he would do anything for Richie to be-

 

He saw someone walk in the gates.

 

Eddie’s heart jumped. He gently lifted himself off the bench, and walked the opposite way around the roundabout. He felt his chest constrict with anxiety, but also a strange sense of peace. He could honestly say that it was the strangest, most contradictory emotion he’d ever felt.

 

Then he saw them. They saw him too. They were wearing an orange, button up, and frankly hideous shirt.

 

Eddie scrunched up his nose, raising his eyebrows at the person in the orange shirt, as if to say, ‘ _ Is it really you?’ _

 

The person grinned back, teary eyed, as if to say,  _ ‘You knew it all along.’ _

 

Eddie walked carefully towards him, tears gathering in his eyes as well. He stopped in front of him and grabbed their hands. Eddie took a shaky breath and looked up at him. He raised his hands to his face. 

 

 _“I wanted it to_ _be you. I wanted it to be you so badly._ ” Eddie whispered as he held Richie Tozier’s face in his hands.

 

Richie let out a watery laugh, and Eddie went up on his tiptoes to kiss him softly. They were both still crying.

 

When they took a breath, Richie wiped Eddie’s tears from his cheeks and winked.

 

“I always knew that you were getting my mail, Eds.”

 

“Shut up and kiss me, Trashmouth.”


End file.
